Daisy was ERF until 2 and I felt guilty turning her FF. FF is safe, its just ERF is safest iykwim? Sometimes there just isnt a way and you have to do whats best for you xx

I ummmed and ahhhhhd over this for AGES. Did loads of research, watched all the videos etc. and was convinced we'd go ERF. When it came down to it though we found that our car, despite looking huge (Audi A4 estate) didn't have much space in the back at all and an ERF would mean the front passenger seat was un-useable. Our car doesn't have isofix or the possibility to fix isofix so an ERF would have to be strapped in which would be REALLY difficult for DH as he uses the car for work every day. The only option was a new car. But because the car has such great boot space and basically fits all of DH's requirements it really wasn't that simple. DH said that when it came down to it if we needed to sell the car and buy a new one to fit an ERF we could for LO's sake but when I weighed up all the above I decided to do more research into the safety of car seats in general and found that whilst most of the well-known ERF seats are definitely 500% safer in a front collision, they didn't meet safety standards for rear impacts and side impacts as much as the best FF ones. So, yes I wanted LO to be 500% safer but how could I guarantee that if we did have a serious collision it would be a head-on one?

I then looked at why FF ones are 500% less safe than ERF and it seems like most safety research shows that it's because of the way the harness straps LOs to the seat leaving their necks at risk of the full force of a head-on collision and the horrible outcome we've all heard of. However... impact shields, on GOOD quality seats that pass all safety standards really help to reduce that risk. Because the LO's body isn't strapped down flat against the back of the seat with a harness it is able to lunge forward with their head/neck in a head-on collision into the impact shield which absorbs a HUGE amount of pressure drastically reducing the risk of neck breakage.

So we went for a Kiddy Guardian Pro

http://www.kiddy.de/en/childrens-car...ian-pro-2.html

No, it's not 5 times safer in a head-on collision like a ERF one is, but it is 2 times safer which is double the safety of standard FF seats. And it is safer in a side-on collision and a rear collision than any of the ERF ones I was looking at are, so I feel I've done the best I can having weighed up all options.

We keep car journeys with LO to a minimum and drive as safely as we can. Do all the research you can and do whatever you feels is the safest option for you. x

I like this ^^^^

We put ours FF from 9months with Daniel and about 12 or 14 months (maybe later) with Esther. Although I hadn't gone into it with as much detail as the PP I wasn't 100% convinced about ERF as it only seemed to be about head on collisions and tbh an awful lot of accidents are rear enders or side impact.

You have to do what you are happiest with but in your circumstances I think I would go with FF.

We have never had an ERF car seat. My lo has been in a car crash with his Daddy when a lady went through a filter light by mistake and smacked right into our car with force. lo was in his ff car seat at the time and it kept him safe. So I have confidence in ff car seats, I also have confidence in our car and don't want to change either any time soon!

After reading the above posts, I should add that it was a side on collision!

I'm still being so silly and nervous! It's the only real solution for us now aside from a new car.

I have 4 weeks left at work and I may promise myself that I will turn her around or at least try for a day or 2 and see how it feels once I have finished and no longer have the daily travelling. I physically can't get her in rear facing on the backseat anymore with the tiny car, her size and my soreness etc. so OH has to do it in the mornings and my Mum does it for me after work. Not to mention her legs are so long they are pressed up against her ribs and the passenger seat has to go as far forward as it can so OH can't fit in the passenger seat! So either I go and get some backstreet car dealer to turn my airbags system off and put her in the front or I turn her around. I had to walk miles to the doctor today as I couldn't face lifting LO in!

I'm not sure whether to just turn the First Class Plus FF or whether to go out and buy a new, highly rated carseat to boost my confidence?

My LO is in an ERF seat as we could get one that fitted safely in the car, so I can't recommend any FF seats but the way I look at it is yes it is safer to put your LO in an ERF seat but that's not to say FF seats aren't safe. All car seats fitted properly and with the child restrained correctly are safe so try not to worry as if you can't fit an ERF seat in your car a FF car seat is safer than no car seat at all! I would keep LO RF as long as you possibly can-go by the weight limit for RF rather than age.

Dont feel guilty about it hun. ERF is safest but FF is still safe! xxx

What would be unsafe is if you didn't use a carseat at all As others have said, FF seats are safe, it's just that in some situations, ERF seats are safer. At the end of the day, you have to find a solution which is best for the whole family, and at the moment it doesn't sound like that's ERF!

my son has been FF facing since he was around 20lbs at 18months really wanted him to be RF for longer but instead we got a good quality FF carseat which lays back we have him like that all the time esp when he is likely to fall asleep

we also have a vauxhall and can't turn off the air bags but they do do their own seats which deactivate the air bags

I have the most awkward car ever (2001 Corsa Sxi 3dr). Can't turn the airbags off and can't use the transponder car seats cos our stupid model of car doesn't have the sensors Why don't we think to check these things when we buy a car?